Van Helsing's Sister, Dracula's Bride
by Secretly-A-Fangirl
Summary: His long fingers wrap around my throat, pointing my dagger between my breasts—the perfect position to pierce my heart. "Maybe I can make you into my first bride, my favorite bride." He breathes in my scent. "It wouldn't take long and it would crush your pathetic brother." Carl/OC
1. Introduction

I am chained to a wall in the count's castle, not a sentence I thought I would ever use in my lifetime, presently he is ranting to his brides about Anna Valerious and her kin. I'm just glad he didn't notice me yet, in all honesty, he scared me to death. Suddenly he's standing right in front of me. He puts a finger under my chin, his eyes meeting my glare. You must be wondering why I'm here in the first place, well, let me explain. The day had started out like normal: Carl was playing around with one of his inventions, the Cardinal was overseeing details to my brother's next case, my brother was out fighting evil monsters, and I was reading _The Picture of Dorian Gray_. Van Helsing came in and straight to me, taking my hand he leads me over to Carl. Carl grabs a burlap sack and throws it to Van Helsing then precedes to fill it with all the things you need to kill vampires. Everyone here knew of my brother's newest assignment and my brother had just found out about it.

He would travel to Transylvania to help Princess Anna and her brother Velkan to kill Count Dracula—a Vampire who wanted the Valerious line ended and ended quickly. If he succeeded, all of the Valerious family would be trapped in purgatory. "Why can't I have one of those," Van asks, pointing to the newly forged swords and making Carl raise an eyebrow.

"You've never gone after vampires have you," the friar asks.

"Vampires, gargoyles, warlocks, they're all the same. Best when cooked well-done."

"They are _not_ all the same," Carl protests. "A vampire is nothing like a warlock!"

"Yeah, Carl's granny could kill a warlock," I say nodding, earning a brief grin from my brother. That old lady was strong for someone pushing eighty.

"You two haven't even been out of the Abby, how can you know about vampires?"

"Well, unlike you brother-dear, we read," I say, handing him a cross bow that Carl had recently finished. "It's gas propelled." Carl goes over to a glass oven. "Carl not the Glycerin forty-eight again," I moan, backing up and plugging my ears with my fingers. He ignores me and sticks his pinky in and then flicks some of it on the floor. The small drop explodes in contact and all the other men glare and yell at Carl. I turn Carl around with a glare, pulling him back over to my brother with an irritated grumble. The man's obsessed with getting the Glycerin forty-eight used for something other than scaring the others in the Abby.

"The air in here is thick with envy," Carl says confidently.

"Yeah, sure it is."

"Now this is more like it," Van Helsing says, holding up the cross bow and gaining back our attention.

"It's capable of catapulting arrows at rapid succession," Carl starts.

"Just pull the trigger and hold on," we finish together. Since I already know Cardinal Jinette wants Carl and me to go with Van Helsing to Transylvania I leave to go pack; he knew I wouldn't have such a bad reaction as Carl and had told me in advance so that I could be ready. I go straight to my room and pull out a small duffel bag and pack it with dresses, my hairbrush, toothbrush, and a couple books. A few minutes later Carl is at my door.

"Can you believe we're going to Transylvania," Carl asks nervously.

"Yup and I can't wait." We walk over to the ship we'll be taking and say goodbye to the cardinal. "Why does it have to be a ship," I moan, turning pale. I can't stand ships because I get extremely sick.

"Could've been a horse," my brother teases. I shudder and walk reluctantly on the ship.


	2. Flying Rats

~Two days later…

We rode into the small town of Vaseria. "So you have memories of the past seven years but nothing before then," Carl asks.

"Not now Carl." _The tension hanging in the air of the town is almost a palpable thing that you could cut with a knife_, I observe, looking around nervously. _These people would have no problems killing three strangers if they deemed us a threat._

"There must be something you can remember," Carl insists.

"I remember fighting the Romans at Masada," Van Helsing said seriously.

"That was in seventy-three A.D.," Carl and I exclaim in unison.

"You asked." A tall man with oily white hair steps in front us, standing on the steps that lead up to the town's well.

"Welcome to Transylvania," he says, his voice sounding bittersweet. Carl helps me down off my horse and keeps me squeezed between him and my brother. The man grins, showing us his few teeth. Behind the man, it seemed the entire town had gathered; they held pitchforks, knives, and machetes.

"Is it always like this," Carl whispers to me.

"From what my brother's told me, yes, exactly like this."

"What are we doing here? Why is it so important to kill this Dracula anyway?"

"Uh, cause he's the son of the Devil."

"Because anything bitten or created by him will also die," Van Helsing explains. A beautiful woman stepped on the edge of the well. This must be Princess Anna.

"You," she yells to us. "Let me see your faces!"

"Why," I ask. She places her hands on her hips.

"Because we don't trust strangers; gentlemen you will now be disarmed." I grab a pistol off of my horse unnoticed and conceal it within the folds of my dress as several people started to close around us, but my brother stops them with a single glare. He is very good at that—he has stopped me from doing something stupid many times.

"You can try." I shake my head at my brother's response, sure that we are about to be murdered.

"That wouldn't be smart," I mutter. Carl nods and tightens his grip on my hand. The men around us look nervous and uncertain.

"You refuse to obey our laws," the princess asks.

"The laws of men mean little to us," I say boldly, stepping forward. Van Helsing pulls me back behind him and Carl, who turns to face me.

"Are you crazy? That could've gotten you killed." I just shrug and look back at the princess.

"Fine," she says nodding," Kill them!" Everyone, including me, raised their weapons. They started to close in on us again, but my brother and I didn't move a muscle.

"I'm here to help," my brother says, looking behind her. I follow his gaze, there are three ugly bat-like things coming towards us. They must be the vampires the Cardinal told us about; Dracula's brides.

"I don't need any help."

"Really?" Van Helsing pulls out his cross bow and I raise my pistol. Anna ducks as we begin shooting at the flying rats behind her. We both hit where we aim; me barely managing to do so. You could tell they were female because of their distorted faces and curves that most women have. Van Helsing and I kept shooting but the rats were too fast. Unfortunately, they were smarter than I thought they were because they split up, flying in all different directions to make it harder for my brother and I to hit them.

"I hate RATS," I shout in frustration, nearly out of the iron rounds I was provided.

"Everyone inside," Anna shouts.

"You'd think they'd do the obvious," I yell to her. One of the rats goes after Anna so I go after the rat; Anna leapt off her perch just in time and landed on my brother.

"Normally I don't like women to throw themselves at me." Before Anna could reply the blonde vampire grabs her. I run over to my brother and pull him up.

"Nice one genius, next time just hand her over to them."

"Let go of me Nadira," Anna exclaims, struggling. My brother throws himself at her and grabbed onto her ankles, yanking her out of the vampire's claws. Rolling around on the ground for a few seconds, they finally stand.

"I thought you said you didn't need any help," Van Helsing says. "Stay here." Anna gave him a dirty look.

"You stay here; they're trying to kill me."


	3. Meeting Dracula

Anna runs off and hides behind some crates. "Wait," my brother cries, about to run after her when he sees the rats again. The black-haired one picked up a grown man and began to drink from him, a bout of nausea hitting me at the sight. They soared over the roofs of the houses; the blonde, Nadira, circled around, looking for Anna. I run forward, grab the crossbow that was knocked from my brother's hands, and throw it to him. No matter how good we aimed, we weren't able to hit them.

"Carl, I'm out of arrows," Van shouts anxiously. Carl throws another round to him, nearly missing his target. Anna pops up and looks at the arrows embedded in the crate in front of her.

"Hey, we're supposed to keep her alive, aim for the rats," I exclaim. Suddenly the square is completely quiet with no sign of vampires.

"The sun," Anna explains. There was a loud splash and we ran to the well. _Is it done?_ People were glancing around nervously. My brother and Anna look down into the well. The clouds covered the sun once more and the vampires shoot out of the well, knocking off my brother's hat. The red-haired one grabs Anna and flies high into the air. _Stop struggling Anna!_ She was always in the way. Anna cut its ankle with her a blade hidden in her boot and was thrown in the air—the black-haired one catching her mid-fall. One of my bullets hit the rat and she dropped Anna, who landed on a roof, then rolled off the side. I run over to her as she falls on her butt out of a tree.

"Smart princess, stay outside and let them kill you," I growl, pulling her up and pushing her towards the nearest house. I run back over to Van Helsing and see Nadira back-hand him. "Hey! No one hits my brother!" She yanks out some arrows and turns into her human form." You know if you looked like that more often your reflection wouldn't hide." She bares her fangs and changes back into her vampiric form. Wide-eyed, I run over to Carl and hide behind him.

"You are insulting very mad vampires," he says in an unbelieving tone. I give him a nervous smirk.

"Might as well." I hear Van Helsing yell and Carl throws something.

"Holy water," he yells back. The black-haired rat catches it and throws it down the well.

"Stop your teasing Nadira and finish them!"

"So we know who is in charge here. Van Helsing throw it," I exclaim. I catch the crossbow and sprint to the church with Nadira right behind me. Dipping it in some holy water I shoot her and she hits the church steeple right as the other two rats shoot out of a roof, one of them grabbing my arm. "Let go you flying rat!" All she does is glare at me. I look down and instantly pale. Heights and I have never agreed with each other. I squeeze my eyes closed, counting to ten over and over again until they throw me through a castle window; next, they change into their human forms and chain me to the wall. The world begins to spin and before I know it, I've passed out.

I wake up to Dracula ranting and his brides connected to his side. _Great, that's what every eighteen year old wants to wake up to._ Suddenly he is standing right in front of me with his hand under my chin, forcing my brown eyes to look into his electric blue ones.

"What is your name," he asks in a seductive yet inquisitive tone, making me shudder.

"Elizabeth McBride," I answer, using my old best friend's name, feeling guilty even though she's been dead for three years due to a ghoul attack.

"I'll only ask once more, what is your name?"

I say nothing until I feel a sudden tingling in the back of my mind that signaled he was digging around in my head for information. "Keep out of my head," I say through gritted teeth. He smiles cruelly at me.

"Now, tell me who your friends are Marishka."


	4. Dust and Mind Control

"They're not my friends; I was just traveling with them," I lie, building a wall in my head when the tingling starts up again.

"You are not completely human?"

"No, I'm a Dhampir."

"A half-vampire, half-human," he asks, eyes alighting with something that made me uncomfortable—it wasn't the lust I'd seen earlier, this is something else entirely and it wasn't good.

"That's generally what it means." He unchains me and picks me up in his arms, his grip tightening every time I attempted to struggle.

"Go! All of you, to castle Frankenstein!" With his brides reconnected to him and me in his arms he teleports us to castle Frankenstein; the castle is covered in cobwebs, dust, and parts of machinery. It looked abandoned—like it has been for some time too. I wonder what happened here.

"You should fire your staff," I say, jumping out of his arms and nearly landing on my back instead of my feet. He chuckles and shakes his head. "What?"

"You are the only person who is brave enough to act like that around me without fearing for their lives." _Oh, I'm scared for my life; I just do not want you to know that_.

"I'm sure if that princess was here she'd treat you the same way." He nods in agreement and sends his brides to bed.

"Come with me."

"Why?"

"To sleep of course, I have a bed near my coffin."

"Is the dungeons full?" He growls and backhands me. The last coherent thought in my head was about my brother and Carl's safety.

~Sunset…

I wake up in a lavish bed. Looking down I see I'm in some Gypsy pants and top, the colors are white and gold. "Well that's just great," I mutter, sitting up.

"The colors suit you." I look at the door and see the remaining two brides.

"What are your names?"

"I am Verona," says the black-haired one," And this is Aleera." I nod and stand up, then jump back onto the bed.

"Cold, cold, cold!" Verona laughs and hands me some white flats with gold trim. I put them on quickly and stand back up. Looking in the mirror, I see my top, if you could call it that, is just barely covering my chest and the pants have one hole on each side that was purposely put there; the complete opposite of the dresses I'd brought with me. "So, why am I here?"

"I thought our master would wish to meet the girl who killed Nadira, he's decided that you will take her place," explained Aleera, a red-headed beauty that looked as though she wished to put my head on a pike.

"Well, aren't I special?"

"Consider yourself rather lucky that you are beautiful," says the count in his thick Romanian accent.

"Count Chocula, a pleasure as always (**I had to keep that one in there**)." His eyebrows furrow and a look of utter confusion crosses his face.

"What does that mean?" I just shake my head and walk past him. He grabs my arm and pulls me to him, immediately hypnotizing me. He asks me some questions and my answers sound mumbled, like I was under water. He nods and kisses my cheek, I feel the need to fight but haven't the strength. All I can do is what he asks of me. _Oh, this is so not good. Okay, I can still think, just don't have control over my body…nope still not good!_ "Come," he commands, dragging me with him; he leads me over to a werewolf. "Go find out who the strangers are." The wolf takes off through a crack in the wall. He throws me to his brides. "Take her around the castle; show her where the library is."

"Yes master," they both answer like robots. The thing that annoyed me was I said it too in the exact same tone. _Van Helsing, where are you when I need you?_


	5. Getting out Alive

The brides and I set off for the library; it takes us thirty minutes because they refused to stop and ask for directions. The library is _huge_; there are shelves upon shelves of books, a large fireplace with a warm fire burning in it, two comfortable-looking armchairs with a small table between them, and a black leather couch that faces the fireplace. _Is this Heaven,_I ask myself, running my fingertips lightly across some books.

We stay in the library until "master" calls for us. I mark where I am in the book I'm reading and follow the others out onto a balcony, where a bunch of ugly, little critters are popping out of green sack-things. _What are these things?_ One lands on Verona's arm, just like a bird might do.

"They need to feed, teach them," Dracula says, pushing Verona and Aleera off the balcony. "And beg the Devil that this time they stay alive." He pulls me close to him and kisses the top of my head. _Remove your arm!_ "So, you can still think freely." _No, these are echoes of your thoughts; of course I can think freely!_ We hear a loud _BANG_ and look up in time to see some of the critters blow up.

"Now that I have your attention," my brother smirks, not yet noticing me. _Come on Van Helsing look at me! At least remove his arm!_Dracula growls and changes into his hell-beast form. I would say it was kind of neat to witness, except he grabbed my arm and took me with him over the balcony ledge! When we get to the ground, he changes back into his human form. Van Helsing runs and hides somewhere. _Why is he running away?_

Dracula follows my brother with me trailing behind him. _I wonder how he keeps his hair so shiny. Does this place even_have_ water?_ "I can tell the character of a man by the sound of his heartbeat," Dracula says, clapping his hands in a two beat rhythm," strange that yours is so steady." Van Helsing jumps out and stakes Dracula; he then grabs my wrist and pulls me behind him. Dracula chokes for a moment before pulling the stake out of his chest. "Is this _your_ silver stake, Gabriele?" _Gabriele, that's Van Helsing's name? _"You don't remember me, do you?"

"What exactly am I supposed to remember?" Dracula motions for me to come forward and I have no choice but to comply. _Dang it!_ He smirks at my brother's surprised look, pushing my wavy, bronze hair off my neck and tracing a pale blue vein with his lips. He forces me to remain calm, but, on the inside, I was panicking! I can feel his fangs brush against the soft flesh of my neck. Van Helsing's hands clench into fists, a look of pure fury on his face.

"Neither of you remember." _What the heck is he talking about?_

"Get your hands off of her," Van Helsing growls. Dracula smirks, one of his hands tilting my head to the left; the other holds me as close to him as he could. _Don't bite me,_ I beg, _please!_

"The three of us go back a long way; I know why you both have such horrific nightmares."

"How do you know," my brother asks, inching closer towards me. A woman's scream causes Van Helsing to look up in worry. _He'd better not have brought Carl with him!_

"Would you like me to inform you of your past?" _Let me go!_ Van Helsing suddenly pulls out a crucifix and the Count stumbles backwards, startled. His concentration was broken just long enough for me to get my control back and run to stand beside my brother.

"Some other time, I guess, but allow me to reintroduce myself." He bows theatrically. "Count Vladislaus Dragulia; born 1432, murdered 1462." He smiles, fangs completely out now. _Why do Van Helsing and I always make the bad guy mad? _I can feel Van Helsing tensing next to me, his grip on my arm tightening. We ignore the woman-like screams coming from above us. If it _is_ Carl, then he knows how to talk his way out of _every _situation known and unknown to mankind; he even wrote a book about it! Dracula grabs the cross and it bursts into flames, his screams fill the room until the cross melts and he drops it to the floor.

His piercing, electric blue eyes bore into my brown ones. _He's trying to regain control over me,_I realize, quickly averting my eyes to find an escape route out of the mad house, or castle to be exact. We hear wailing not too far away; his brides have returned! While Dracula was distracted Van Helsing and I run for the dumb waiter system. He uses one of his saws to cut the cable and we shoot up the narrow shaft. After two floors, he pulls me out of the dumb waiter with him, then we run towards the woman-like screams. The room we run into is a laboratory and the person screaming is the Princess.

"Are you an idiot," I screech at my brother," if you needed backup you should've brought Carl!" _Man it feels good to talk(or in this case, yell) again!_Anna breaks free from the Werewolf she was battling and backs into Van Helsing. Relief flashes across her face when she sees it was my brother and not another enemy she'd have to fight.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome," my brother quips. He pulls us over to a ledge, takes out a grappling gun, and shoots a grappling hook across the river and into a tree. Van Helsing hands me some leather gloves before he takes the Princess and slides across the cable; the only reason he's letting me cross by myself is because I've done it a hundred times in the practice area at the Abby. "Mari," Van Helsing shouts worriedly. I look behind me as lightening hits where the cable is connected to the ledge and the Werewolf is lunging at me!

The cable snaps in half, causing the Werewolf to fall into the river below and Van Helsing, Anna, and I to swing to the ground at the edge of a forest. I'm pulled to my feet and we're all sprinting again. "Van," I gasp," if we live through this, I'll kill you personally!" He chuckles, smirking at me. We run for another half-hour before we slow to a fast walk, _too_ fast in my opinion! Bodies of Dracula's babies are lying everywhere; I can't help but feel a little sad that they died. They kind of remind me of aliens though...

"Are you alright," Van asks the Princess. She nods and smiles a sad smile. _What's up with her?_"What about you, Mari?"

"Oh, yeah," I reply sarcastically," I'm just peachy, nothing like nearly getting killed countless times tonight to really get your adrenaline going." He chuckles again, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "If you weren't my big brother I would've let that Cyclopes eat you two years ago, it would've saved me a lot trouble." As the trees begin to thin and the rain comes down harder, I can vaguely make out the remains of a windmill.

"Ah, Shorty wouldn't eat me; you on the other hand..."

"A Cyclopes named Shorty," Anna asks, a single brow raised. I nod, pleased of the name I'd given him. "Let me guess, your sister named it?" Van Helsing puts his hat on her head, pulling me closer to him.

"Eh, whatever made it mad," I shrug," Shorty and I never saw eye to eye, no pun intended." We finally reach the charred remains of the windmill and stand in it to keep some of the rain off of us. Anna begins to chastise my brother again about his choice in weapons. We've already tried that; blah, blah, blah…. _Maybe she should've told him that!_

"We've been hunting this creature for over four hundred years," she says exasperatedly, throwing her arms in the air," we have already tried all that!"

"You could've said that _before_ he went after the Count," I yell. I would just love to smack her, but I don't want to chance being ran through since she has a sabre.

**(A/N): Sorry for any mistakes! I no longer have the DVD of Van Helsing so I'm using the book I have of it; there may be some different things in this story than the movie, but I'm trying to remember scenes!**


	6. Meeting Frankenstien's Monster

I can see Van Helsing has a small smile on his lips. I snuggle closer to him; _stupid Vampire and his stupid choice of clothing! I can't feel anything! Warmth, my kingdom for warmth, I'll even throw the Princess in as a bonus!_After she calms down from her little outburst she looks at us sadly. "Do you both have any family?" Van Helsing rubs my arm in a familiar, comforting motion and to also give me some extra heat.

"Marishka is the only person that I know of," he answers," and I plan to do all in my power to protect her; she's my baby sister." Anna is trying hard not to cry, it's easy to tell; I wonder why.

"Where's Carl," I ask, looking around us like he was going to pop out at any moment.

"He's doing research at Anna's castle." I nod, stamping my feet to get the circulation going again. Van Helsing pulls out a bottle, taking a long drink from it; Anna takes it from him, sniffing it.

"Absinthe," she says, surprised.

"Strong stuff," he smirks as she takes a drink.

"Don't let it touch your tongue," Anna says when I take it," it'll knock you on you're a—"She's cut off when the floor beneath us gives away. "Ah!" The fall is quick and the ground is hard—I land on my back, the air knocked out of my lungs; it's made worse when boards and other pieces of the windmill fall down around me.

The end of a piece of wood barely connects with my head, but it hit me just hard enough to knock me out for a few seconds. I can hear Anna groaning and Van Helsing pushing the charred wood around. "Mari, are you okay," he whispers. I raise one pale arm in and wave it around in the air, unable to speak yet. He runs over and helps me to my feet. "You're bleeding."

"It'll heal in a few minutes," I mouth to him. It's true, as a Dhampir my wounds heal faster, just not as fast as a Vampire's. Van Helsing rolls his eyes, taking one of my hands gently in one of his. He leads Anna and me past a pile of small bones; a bible is lying on top of them.

"There's something down here," he informs us quietly," it's human, it's carnivorous." _No crap, look at those bones!_ He stops and points to a huge, muddy footprint. "I'd say he's a size seventeen wide, three hundred and sixty pounds, almost nine feet tall."

"And a bad gimp," I notice; I look behind the Princess, grimacing at the sight of a tall...Something," and three copper teeth."

"How do you know he has copper teeth," she asks, standing up. Van Helsing slowly reaches for his pistol saying," Because he's standing right behind you; move!" He pushes Anna out of the way. The monster throws Van Helsing backwards into a shallow pool filled with murky water.

I charge at the monster, but he picks me up and throws me into the pool. Anna is knocked to the ground and begins to crawl backwards as the monster advances towards her. "The Frankenstein monster," she gasps.

"Monster," the thing growls," who's the monster here?" It takes another big step closer to the Princess, steam hissing from under the ragged cloak it wore. "I have done no wrong, yet you and your kind all wish me dead!" Van Helsing slams into the monster, knocking him into the wall before, once again, being thrown into the pool; this time he lands on top of me. The top and left hand sides of the monster's face pops open, only being held together by stitches; he pushes them back into place.

"What do you want," Anna asks, panicked.

"To exist," it answers sadly. _Aw, poor thing!_Taking advantage of the situation, Van Helsing shoots six small darts into the creature's back; they should put it to sleep.

"You had to be thrown twice to think of that," I half ask, half yell. He shoots me a look.

"Did _you_ think of it," he counters. I glare at him and punch him in the face. _That's what he gets for being so cocky!_


	7. Persuasion

The creature takes an unsteady step backwards before collapsing, fighting to stay awake. Anna rises to her feet and stumbles over to where Van Helsing's pistol is laying on the cavern floor. My brother and I hurry over to her and I tackle her before she can shoot the monster. What can I say; I'm a sucker for a good sob story even if a monster is the one telling it.

Anna jumps to her feet after pushing me off of her, and picks up the gun, aiming it at the monster; Van Helsing grabs her wrist, forcing the barrel towards the ground. "We have to kill it," Anna exclaims, struggling to raise the pistol.

"If you value your lives," the monster rasps," and the lives of your people, you _will_ kill me!"

"What are you talking about," I growl at it," we're trying to save you from that homicidal Princess!"

"If Dracula finds me—"He cuts himself off, forcing his eyes to stay open. "I am the key to my father's machine. The key to life, life for Dracula's children."

"He awakened them last night," Van Helsing informs it solemnly.

"They were only from one bride, one single birthing; only with me can he give them lasting life." Its sorrow filled eyes slowly begin to glaze.

"There are more of those things?"

"Thousands...Thousands more..." Its head crashes to the floor and it begins to snore quietly. Anna raises the pistol again but I stand between her and the monster, blocking her shot.

"Get out of the way," she orders. _I've never taken orders well, just ask the men back in Rome__._

"Lower the gun and I will!"

"We have to kill it so Dracula can't bring his children to life!"

"It's not evil," I exclaim," it's-it's innocent!" My brother forces the pistol from her.

"My job, my life, is to vanquish evil; I can _sense_evil," Van Helsing says, pointing at the monster. "This man isn't evil; evil may have created it, may have left its mark on it, but evils does not rule it. I cannot kill it."

"I can," she argues, struggling to get the pistol back.

"Not while we're here," I say firmly. "Maybe he can help us find a way to destroy Dracula." I see a shadow move out of the corner of my eye and turn just in time to see a Werewolf jumping out of the cavern and running off, probably to tell Count Chocula. _Great, that's exactly what we needed._

"It saw us, now Dracula will know where the creature's been hiding!" Anna has a grim look on her face. "He'll get what he's wanted all this time, and none of us will be able to stop him!" Van Helsing and I look at each other and he nods.

"If we can get him to Rome then we can protect him," my brother says, holstering the revolver. Anna sighs, reluctantly nodding her head.

"I'm going to regret this later," she grumbles," I know I will."

~Two Hours Later~

Van Helsing, Carl, and I walk to a coach that Anna has just drawn up in front of her manor; the four black horses pulling it are restless, even more so when I approach them. Animals and I have never gotten along; it's something to do with my Dhampir blood. I lead Carl over to the unoccupied side of the coach, turning to face him before opening the door.

"Don't stare at him, it makes him uncomfortable," I inform the friar, one hand resting on his shoulder.


	8. The journey to Rome

"I have manners," Carl scoffs," I've seen some things." I roll my eyes at his bravado slash male pride.

"Whatever you say," I say skeptically, opening the coach door and gesturing for him to get in. He steps onto the running board and his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates when he sees the other passenger.

"I'm staring," he says in a frightened voice, jumping to the ground and standing behind me. "Is that a man?"

"Seven," I reply, smiling at Carl. The monster sat on one of the velvet benches, chained to the back wall of the coach. I grab Carl and force him onto the bench opposite of the monster. It, or should I say _he_, rattles the chains that are binding him.

"By exposing me, you have condemned me," he roars," me and all of humanity!" I turn my head to look at Carl.

"Be nice to him, he's a little frightened." Before Carl can reply, I shut the coach door.

"Get in the coach," Van Helsing tells me. I turn and head towards the coach he'll be driving, but he stops me with a hand on my shoulder. "I meant with Carl." I open my mouth to argue but he covers it with his other hand and forces me next to Carl inside the coach.

I try to open the door, but Van Helsing was stronger. "Just stay in there Marishka," he commands," stay and keep the guys company." I give a low growl, using the last of my strength to force the door open, causing Van Helsing to stumble backwards.

"Air," I shout, falling face first onto the snow covered ground. My brother grabs the back of my cloak and hauls me to my feet. When we had arrived at the manor Anna let me borrow some clothes; I'm now wearing and outfit exactly like hers, bloody corset and all, the only difference being my shirt was dark red with white designs instead of the other way around. _Does no woman around here believe in dresses?_

"Why can you not do as I say?" I shrug, wrapping my cloak tighter around me. He picks me up and places me on the bench of the coach he'll be driving, finally seeing things my way. Inside it, I know, are dozens of very pointy stakes. He climbs up to sit next to me, taking up the reins and we begin to move.

We are moving quickly through the woods; it was as if the horses sensed the need to hurry! "Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go," I sing softly until my fingertips begin to tingle from the cold.

"Take the reins," my brother says," try not to let go."

"Yes, sir," I hold the reins tightly as he takes up his crossbow, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Not long afterwards, Verona swoops down and grabs him from his spot beside me, the crossbow flying from his hands. He jerks out of Verona's grasp and falls onto the thing that connects the horses to each other before climbing onto the lead horse's back. The horse's stride doesn't falter as we continue to follow the barely distinguishable path. "You okay?" I glance around us, completely paranoid.

"Just peachy," Van Helsing yells sarcastically. He stays low and I can hear him quietly urging the horses to go faster. We both know that Verona isn't finished yet, she was just beginning her line of attacks; Aleera probably wasn't too far behind! The brides can be seen circling in the ink colored sky as we approach a hairpin turn.

Van Helsing hunkers down even more, shooting a worried glance in my direction. The team flies around the corner at full speed, kicking up rocks and dirt. I have to hold onto the bench to keep from falling off the coach, the reins falling out of my hands. I can feel my hold begin to lesson as my strength began, once again, to fade.


	9. The Journey to Rome Interrupted

I hold tightly onto the reins and hesitantly stand on shaking legs. Aleera swoops down, grabs the back of my cloak, and drops me; I land on the horse next to Van Helsing's. The horses jump a huge gap in a bridge, but the coach hits the edge of the bridge, disconnects from the horses, and falls off—the two brides dive after it. This is why we decided on two coaches, one is the decoy and we hoped they'd go for it, obviously they did.

I look behind me and see Aleera shooting into the air and flying away, stakes flying up not long after; Verona was dead. I look to my left past Van Helsing and see Anna driving the other coach. We pull up beside her and hop on; Carl opens the coach door so I can climb in and sit beside him... I lay my head on his shoulder, taking deep breaths.

"You okay," he asks me worriedly.

"Oh yeah," I answer," All part of the job description, right?" He smiles, pulling me closer to him. Out of nowhere the top of the coach catches on fire and something begins to bang on both the coach doors, followed by Anna and Van Helsing's panicked shouts of "Carl" and "Mari".

Carl and I look at each other before opening the doors. I see Anna hanging onto the side of the coach for dear life. "What are you doing out here?"

"Mari," She yells in annoyance and fear. I grab her and help get back onto the bench in the front of the coach.

"I can help you if you unchain me," Frankie shouts to Carl.

"You won't kill me," Carl asks, looking unsure. I grab the key from him and unchain the monster. Frankie leans out of the coach and tosses Van Helsing up beside the Princess. Once the coach door is shut again Carl and I give a nod of thanks to Frankie.

_When this is over, if I survive, I'm going on vacation_! I hear a growling sound and look out the window behind Frankie, spotting the Werewolf instantly. It jumps on top of the coach, ripping the cloth and allowing the fire to spread into the compartment; Carl, Frankie, and I all begin to panic, shrinking away from the flames as best we can.

"Jump," Van Helsing yells. Carl opens the door and the three of us do as we are told, the freezing snow not softening the landing in the least. As my brother jumps from the coach the Werewolf leaps at him; Van Helsing shoots it and they land on the ground mere second before the coach blew up! I swear I blacked out for a minute because when I open my eyes I see Van Helsing following a distraught looking Anna into the woods.

Standing, I slowly make my way after them, stumbling every now and then due to various dizzy spells. I can hear the Princess screaming about something around her sobs. When I finally reach them she storms off and I see the dead body of her older brother, Velkan. _That explains_a lot!

"Should I..." I trail off; motioning in the direction Anna took off in. Van Helsing nods his head and I limp over to her in time to see Aleera back hand her. "Van-" Aleera punches me in the face, almost knocking me unconscious. I can faintly hear Carl shouting my name before darkness consumes me.


	10. Making a Deal

-Omniscient POV-

Van Helsing, Carl, and the monster walk together through a small village. All three were thinking about what the Count would do now that he had the last of the Valerious' in his grasp; Van Helsing had a pretty good idea of what would happen to Mari, she would become Dracula's newest bride or she would be bleed dry; neither was one he wanted to happen. The pain from the Werewolf bite wasn't wavering in the slightest nor was it helping him think of a plan. As they walk into the village center, the red-haired bride, Aleera, lands on a snowy eave above them.

Van Helsing pulls out his revolver, trying his best to ignore the pain in his side. Aleera tsks at them, wagging her finger like a mother would do to her naughty child. "What do you want," Van Helsing asks hatefully.

"The Master commands a trade," the bride says, focusing her gaze on Frankie," the monster for the Princess and woman."

"Somewhere public so your Master would be less inclined to show his—his other side." The monster looks at Van Helsing with a shocked and slightly hurt expression while Carl can only think about Mari and what would become of her if they didn't hurry. The bride thinks for a minute before smirking down at them wickedly.

"Tomorrow night is All Hallows Eve; there is a wonderful masquerade ball." She flies off, cackling about her brilliant plan.

"Are you alright," Carl asks his friend, noticing the blood on his torn sweater.

"No," Van Helsing says quietly. The monster forcefully turns Van Helsing to face him so he can see the wound, causing Van Helsing to wince in pain and grit his teeth so as not to cry out.

"He has been bitten," the monster rasps, confirming its thoughts," bitten by a Werewolf. Now you will become that which you've hunted so passionately." Van Helsing pulls out his dart gun. "May others be as passionate in the hunting of you." Van Helsing nods before shooting a dart into the creature.

It falls unconscious onto the hard, snow-covered cobblestone.

~X~

Van Helsing and Carl gently lie the monster down on the mausoleum floor, then they walk out and close the heavy stone doors behind them. "They won't find him in here," Van Helsing says confidently. The two men are dressed in costumes; Van Helsing looks like a noble Prince and Carl is dressed as a Court Jester, hat and all.

"I'm sure this is some sort of sin," the Cleric says nervously, fidgeting with his hat.

"Don't worry. God will forgive us." Van Helsing picks up a heavy cross to block the mausoleum doors, straining with the effort and pain. "Carl, help me," he says through gritted teeth.

"Oh, right." Carl goes over and grabs the other side of the cross, surprised by how heavy it was, and helps to bar the doors with it. "How many commandments can we break in one day?" The men start to head out of the cemetery. "Anyway, you shouldn't turn into a Werewolf until the rising of your first full moon. That's two nights from now; even then, you'll still be able to fight Dracula's hold over you until the final stroke of midnight."

"Sounds like I have nothing to worry about."

"Oh my God, you should be petrified!"

"Thank you," Van Helsing says sarcastically.

"You're sure he can't get out of their?"

"Not without some help from the dead." Carl couldn't help thinking about the irony of his friend's sentence. Little did either of them know, while they walked out of the graveyard, the dead were already rising from their graves...


	11. Waking up to a Daymare

-Marishka's POV-

I wake up with a splitting headache and a sore jaw from where I was punched. Next time I see that rat I'm gonna return the favor! I try to massage my jaw, only to find my hands are bound above my head with rope. "You are finally awake." I turn my head, trying to make out who it was that spoke; I should've realized that from his voice but I was still a little woozy. "If I release you, are you going to try and fight me?" I just give the Count a blank look, not bothering to speak.

He takes his time walking over to me and sits on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through my hair and down my neck. "Get off, you disgusting worm," I growl weakly. _Stupid, no good, rats_! Dracula leans forward, kissing my jugular. He breathes deeply, nuzzling his face deeper into the crook of my neck.

"You smell as good as when I first met you." I try to squirm away from him but the attempt is futile and I know it. "I wonder if you'll taste the same." His fangs brush against my neck but they do not pierce the soft flesh.

"Uh-uh," I grumble," I taste like garlic; you're allergic to that stuff aren't you?" His dark laugh fills the large room we're in. His lips move from my neck to my ear.

"Would you like to finally remember, to know about some of your past, Marishka?" His cool breath makes me shiver involuntarily. "You were so beautiful, yet so much like him_." Who him? Why can't he speak like a normal guy?_

My brown eyes begin to glaze over as I try to fight back the avalanche of a memory threatening to overwhelm me; I can't let my guard down around Chocula, when I do he's sure to go in for the kill. I groan, slowly losing the battle and my grip on the present.

_I walk through the halls of the Valerious Manor, heading towards the front doors._ _"Where do you think you're going?" My brother steps out of the shadows and in front of me, blocking the doors. "You know you shouldn't leave the manor, young lady." Slowly, my dark eyes meet his._

_"I was just going for a quick ride, brother." He gives me a stern look. "It wasn't going to be long, an hour at the most!"_

_"You can once Dracula is dead; we both know what he'd do if he found you alone, if he found out who you were." Unlike my father and older brother, I wasn't immortal; our father had fallen in love with a mortal woman, my mother, and when I was born our father happily claimed me. "Just wait until later, I do not wish to lose you."_

_"Oh, Gabriel, I'll be fine—besides, how will he know who I am if I do not tell him?" Sometimes my brother is too overprotective._

_"Then allow someone to go with you, it would make me feel better than to know you're alone." His dark eyes shine with worry as he looks down at me. "Take the Prince, you both have grown close...On second thought, take Alycia, you and the Prince should get some distance from each other."_

_"Brother, most girls my age are already married, some even have children! Why am I not allowed that?"_

_"You are not most girls, Marishka, you are my sister and I say you are too young for that life. I do wish you could live the life you've wanted for so long, but the decision is up to our father and he says you must be older; I agree with him completely." I look down at the floor, tears of anger and sadness filling my eyes and sliding down my cheeks. "I love you, dear sister; father and I do this because we care deeply for you."_

_"Please allow me to go riding," I beg," I need to calm down and being stuck in this manor doesn't help me think. I need fresh air,__Gabriel__!" Hesitantly he nods his consent before pulling me into a tight embrace. "I love you both as well."_

_As soon as he lets me go I run out the doors to the stables, walking up to a black Stallion named Ares, given to me by the Prince, Nathan. "Hello, my friend, are you ready for a quick ride?" The horse neighs excitedly, making me laugh. "Calm down so I can saddle you, you silly thing!"_ _I saddle it and we begin a fast trot out of the stables to our favorite spot only fifteen minutes away: a large hill overlooking the village and some of the manor. "This view will never get old." I tie Ares reins loosely to a branch; he seems a bit restless, which is odd for him. "What's wrong, boy?_

_"It's amazing how similar you and your brother look," says a rich voice from the trees. I look around me, all my senses on guard. "Though, I can see some of your mother's traits in you as well."_

_"Come out and face me, coward!" If this is who I think it is, then I'm in trouble! I turn at a small noise and find myself falling backwards; I had run into the man. I scramble to my feet and search the hidden pocket in my cloak desperately for my dagger only to find it missing._

_The man, Dracula, backs me into a tree, removes my cloak to reveal the snow white dress I am wearing, and holds my dagger to my throat. His electric blue eyes never leave my brown ones. "I wonder how your brother handle your death." He licks his lips and swallows as if he's thirsty._

_"You are a monster," I spit at him. "My brother will kill you!" Dracula lets out a low, threatening growl meant to silence me. "You are_weak _compared to him!" His long fingers wrap around my throat, pointing my dagger between my breasts—the perfect position to pierce my heart._

_"Maybe I can make you into my first bride, my favorite bride." He breathes in my scent. "It wouldn't take long and it would crush your pathetic brother." The hand on my neck moves to my shoulder._ _I try to force my body to move but it is as if I am frozen to my spot; he's controlling me! A sharp and sudden pain starts in my neck, but I cannot react. The next thing I know, Dracula is falling to the ground, my brother's sword in his side. I collapse, a scream of pain tearing out of my throat._

_Crimson stains my ivory skin and white dress as my body tries to fight the venom. My brother places my head in his lap, brushing my bronze hair off my face._ _"G-Gabriel," I sob," h-hard to f-fight." He places a finger on my lips to silence me. My body jerks in pain, making me groan._

_"You'll be okay, don't worry," Gabriel assures," just hang on!" The nearly unbearable pain makes it hard to speak, so I settle for another groan._

_~Two Hours Later~_

_Finally the pain stops, allowing me to breathe normally again. Gabriel kisses my forehead, whispering in my ear. "It's over, it's over." I sit up and lean against the tree, taking deep breaths._

_"I'm not completely mortal," I rasp. He nods, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "I am not a Vampire either. I am a half-Vampire, a Dhampir."_

_"I will not leave your side, no matter what you are."_

My eyes snap open, wincing at Dracula's close contact; his eyes are back to their normal black. He's lying beside me on the bed; one hand around my waist, the other is tangled in my hair, his lips on my neck. When he pulls away there is some blood on his lips. I let out a gasp, once again I try to move away from him, but I am too weak.

"D-did you just...Am I a Vampire?"


	12. Take me Away

Dracula chuckles at my question, wiping the blood off his face and licking his fingers clean. I glare at him, swallowing back the bile rising in my throat. "No," he answers finally," I want your brother to be there, I want him to see it with his own eyes. I want him to see his baby sister at the feet of his enemy." Dracula rises from the bed and walks to the window a few feet from my bed, hands behind his back. "Get up, the dress you will be wearing to the ball is in your wardrobe."

I move my hands, finding that the rope has loosened just enough so that I can take them off and sit up. The blood rushes to fill my wrists again, making them get the pins and needles sensation. The room spins for a second from blood loss, stopping soon after and allowing me to stand. I ignore the cold floor and walk to a floor length mirror on the far side of the sparsely furnished room.

The nightgown I am dressed in is floor length and made of white silk with white lace down the front and on the cuffs, the front wasn't too far low cut; too much for my taste, though. Dracula places his hands on my shoulders, kissing the spot just below my ear. "Get dressed; I'll be back in here to take you downstairs shortly." He walks out, his footsteps echoing eerily against the stone.

When the door is shut I rush over to it and lock it; I knew that wouldn't keep him out, but I at least needed a bit of privacy. I walk over to the large, oak wardrobe and open its double doors, finding an extravagant gown; it is purple with some black lace on it, corset top, the sleeves are the width of two fingers, the bottom brushes the floor, and has a slight trail. In the bottom corner of the wardrobe are a pair of plain, black heels; how the hell am I supposed to walk in those? Tonight will be torture!

"Marishka," I hear an unfamiliar voice call through the bedroom door," let us in to help you dress." Hesitantly, I walk over and open the door, revealing a woman with long, blonde hair and Aleera, false smiles on their beautiful faces. They walk in, shutting the door behind them.

"Why did you lock it," Aleera sneers. I shrug, throwing the dress at her. "This is Tara, by the way."

"Just help me so I can get this over with," I grumble, not acknowledging the newest bride's presence any more than I have to. My nightgown is removed and the dress replaces it soon after. Tara sits me at the vanity and begins to brush my hair while Aleera applies make up; when they're done I open my eyes, a bit nervous about what they did to me. My hair is curled and on top of my head apart from two strands that frame my face; make-up wise, my dark eyes stand out because of the even darker colors of the eye make-up, and my lips are a shade darker of pink than they usually are.

Hurry up, Van, I need you...You and Carl! Why hasn't he shown up, surely he's not just going to leave Anna and me here in a castle full of Vampires! He hasn't given up on me has he? I can't help the paranoid thoughts that race through my mind as I slip on the heels and mask; did he finally remember who he is and give up on me?

_Take me away,__  
__Take me far away from here__  
__I will run with you__  
__Don't be afraid__  
__Navigate and I will steer__  
__Into the sun, we will run_


	13. Masqued Identities Revealed

The brides leave once Dracula shows up to escort me; Anna's on one of his arms. Dang, she looks pissed. Why is she being a good little hostage? She sends me a look. Oh, mind control; that explains _a lot!_ "You both look beautiful," Dracula complements," come—I have someone I want to introduce you to, Marishka." Slowly, I walk over to him and place my hand in the crook of his free arm. He leads us to the extravagant ballroom, filled with Vampires of all ages.

A tall, handsome Vampire walks over to us, bowing at the waist. "Count," he greets respectively, Dracula nods.

"Isaiah, this is Princess Anna." Isaiah nods, smiling at Anna, who looks like she's seen a ghost. "This is Marishka, a Dhampir." The other Vampire's gray eyes light up even more as he studies me. "I knew you'd be interested to meet another of your kind."

"Surely you'd allow me a dance with her then?" I look over at Dracula and see him smiling.

"That is for you to ask her, Prince." _This guy's a Prince?_ Isaiah looks at me expectantly.

"I suppose your company is better than some," I shrug," I'd rather dance with you than spend more time with the Count over here." Isaiah chuckles, holding out a white-gloved hand for me to take, I place my hand in his, allowing him to lead me out onto the dance floor and spin me to the orchestra all the while hoping I do not fall and embarrass myself.

"Are you always so blunt?" I smirk, meeting his gaze head on. "If you are, then I don't know how you're still alive."

"I'm still alive because I'm too adorable to kill." I give him my puppy eyes. "Also my charm comes in handy from time to time." We laugh, twirling around like the other dancers surrounding us.

"How close are you and the Count?" I shrug, looking past him at the large, gilded mirror. I notice the only people that appear in it are Isaiah, Anna, and I.

"I don't think we're close at all, he's just using me to hurt my brother. Actually, Dracula's the one who made me a Dhampir." Isaiah nods, dipping me and bringing me back up again. He glares at the elder Vampire.

"He made me like this, too." My eyebrows knit together, but he continues before I can ask anything. "He and my father made a deal before I was born that he would stop terrorizing my village. When I turned nine Dracula turned me into a Dhampir."

My eyes widen as I look up at his face. "That was ten years ago today. He said I was his favorite son and that he'd treat me how a Prince should be treated. My father always said I was too much like an ancestor of mine, the first thing I did here was spray holy water on Dracula." I smile, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"Who is your ancestor," I ask as he spins me around and back to him.

"His name was Nathan; we have a painting of him in my father's study. He's with a woman, nobody can remember her name; we only know that when she disappeared he got very depressed." I lower my eyes, not able to meet Isaiah's intense gaze. When I finally look back up at him I have tears in my eyes.

"You look just like him, you know; same dark, messy hair and everything." Isaiah's gray eyes widen as he slowly removes my mask, seeing my entire face for the first time tonight. I take off his gold and silver mask, tracing his cheek with my fingers like I used to with Nathan.

"Ochii tai sunt cerul nopţii şi stelele sunt prinse în ele," he whispers, leaning down to kiss me. Before our lips can touch, we hear Dracula let out a roar, jerking us out of our moment. I see Carl walking my way quickly, a frightened expression on his face.

**(A/N): Translation is "Your eyes are the night sky and the stars are caught in them." Yeah, clichéd I know.**


	14. Water Filled Panic

Carl leads Isaiah and me through a side door into a new room, then up some stairs, down a hall, and into another room. Out of breath, I lean against the doorway of a connecting room, letting my hair down. These shoes are killing me! I break the heels off of them, making them flats. "You okay," Carl asks, pulling out the glass orb he's always fiddling with, filled with compressed magma from Mount Vesuvius. I nod, hugging him tightly. "You're not a..." He trails off, unable to say 'Vampire.'

"No." I shake my head, looking over at Isaiah. He smiles at me, a smile that reminds me so much of Nathan it hurts. Van and Anna run into the room, closing the double doors behind them.

Carl holds up the orb shouting," Now I know what's for! Where are we going?"

"Though that window," my brother and Anna shout in unison. Before I realize what's happening, Isaiah picks me up and jumps through the stained glass window right before the other three. There's a blinding flash and bones fly through the window as we hit the water. I come up for air only to have my dress drag me under again; thankfully, Isaiah and my brother help me to stay above the surface.

"Carl, you're a genius," my brother laughs. Carl nods his thanks, coughing up a bit of water, still recovering from the fall.

"A genius with access to unstable chemicals," he coughs. I laugh breathlessly, smirking at the friar. It's good to be with them again. A loud splash causes all of us to jump.

We turn towards where it came from and see Igor, a few Dewergi, and Frank in a boat; the iron gate starts to lower as soon as they're past it. Van pushes me closer to Isaiah and begins to swim to the gate, trying to beat it. He reaches it too late and grabs at the bars. "I'll find you and set you free," my brother yells," I swear to God!" The rest of us begin to swim over to him. It's harder for the Princess and me since we're in ball gowns; even harder for me considering I've never been a strong swimmer. Aleera, Tara, and Dracula fly over our heads; Aleera cackling the entire time, glad that they have Frank and can now bring their children to life. "I must save him!"

"You can't," Carl informs us sadly.

"Why?"

"I cabled Rome early to apprise them of our situation; even if you somehow kill Dracula, Rome orders you to destroy Frankenstein as well."

"He isn't evil." I agree with my brother while clinging to the gate for dear life.

"Yes, but he isn't human either."

"How can they judge when they don't even know him," I exclaim," they've never even seen him or talked with him!"

"They want him destroyed so he can never be used to harm humanity."

"Did you tell them what I am to become," my brother glares," did they tell you how to kill me!" Van picks Carl up by his throat and slams him against the gate. "The correct angle of the stake as it enters my heart?" Isaiah and I each take one of his arms, struggling to pull him away; Anna wraps her arms around his chest and pulls.

"Stop," I exclaim," let him go!"

"No, I left you out," Carl half-gasps, half-squeaks. I pull harder

"Van Helsing, let him go for your sister," Anna yells desperately," for me. Please, let him go!" Van Helsing growls, letting go of Carl and pushing everyone off as he arches against the gate in pain; making me fly back into the water, sinking because of my gown's weight. Water begins to fill my lungs as I panic. The last thing I see is two pairs of hands reaching for me.


	15. Books, Paintings, and Mirrors oh my!

Muffled voices reach my ears, sounding so far away yet so close. I want to groan, to give some sign I'm still alive but my body feels as if it is made of stone. The voices swirl around me, reminding me of dancers. Dancing….A masquerade ball….Vampires….Am I still there, in Dracula's summer palace? No, my brother's voice is among the others; where am I then? Was everything that had happened just a dream? Will I wake up and find my brother holding a plate of bacon under my nose and laugh when I take it from him? A sudden pain starts in my head and the voices get louder, closer.

My eyes open as I cough up water. "I told you that would work," a woman shouts. I groan, realizing that everything had indeed happened; the woman is Princess Anna and I bet I won't get any bacon for a while still. "Are you alright, Mari?" I just nod, closing my eyes again.

This is awful! I just want to go home! Isaiah sits beside me on a lavish bed, gently rubbing his thumb across my cheek. I smile at him, enjoying his warmth. Carl rushes into the room with blankets piled in his arms, breathing hard. Van takes the blankets from him and covers me up with them. "I'm sorry, Mari, I didn't mean to hurt you," he says quietly.

"I know, Van, it is fine." He looks ready to protest, but smack the back of his head. "Now we're even, so shut up about it." He chuckles, kissing my forehead and forcing Isaiah off the bed all in one move.

Carl smirks, his arms crossed as he looks at Isaiah, who's picking himself up from the floor. "Did anyone find out how to kill Count Chocula while I was sleeping?" They all give me a look as if to say 'Are you stupid or something?' "Uh, I'll take the silence as a 'no.'"

"Of course we didn't," Carl says incredulously," we were too busy trying to get you to wake up….Well, I found out how to stop Anna and Van Helsing's arguing for a bit," he adds smugly. Van raises an eyebrow at his friend and Carl just shrugs.

"What'd you do?"

"I pointed out the window and yelled 'the flying monkeys are attacking again!'" I laugh, nearly falling off the bed.

"I gotta remember that one, especially when these two get married." Van Helsing and Anna give me identical looks of disbelief. "What, it always happens in books! The handsome hero falls in love with the pretty woman he's supposed to protect."

I get more disbelieving looks from the two of them. "Really guys, you've got to start reading; that even happens in children's stories!"

"It may happen in books," Van starts.

"But it will NEVER happen in real life," Anna finishes.

"You see," I shout, waving my hand in their direction," you guys even finish each other's sentences! You were _made_ for each other!" Carl puts a hand over my mouth.

"Don't dig yourself any deeper, let's go to the library." I pull back the covers to find I'm in one of my normal dresses, thank you whoever changed me! We walk out of the cramped room and to the Valerious' extensive library. "I knew you'd like this room very much." I kiss his cheek, not noticing his blush, and begin to explore, taking book after book off the shelves and settling in a comfortable armchair to read. I guess I'd fallen asleep because the next thing I know, Carl's excited shouts force me to come back to reality.

"….he left clues, so that future generations might do it for him!"

"That must be what my father was looking for," Anna says," clues to the doors location!" I stand up, placing the book I was reading on a small side table and walk over where Van Helsing was standing in front of a large painting of Transylvania. I should talk Carl into making me one of these! Carl looks over at me, as if sensing what I was thinking and says," No, make one yourself."

"You said your father spent hours staring at this painting," my brother interrupts," trying to find Dracula's lair; I think he was right. Quite literally, I think _this_ is the door, he just didn't know how to open it!"

"Of course, what better place to hide something than the place no one thinks to look at and even if they did look, how would you open a painting," I smile.

"Look," Carl points," it's a Latin inscription, maybe it works like that painting in the tower." Painting in the tower? Isaiah and I look at each other, shrug, and turn back to the large painting of a map that takes up most of a wall.

"If this were a door my father would have opened it long ago," Anna says impatiently, wanting to get moving again.

"Sorry, Princess," I say smugly," your old man was missing a very important piece of the puzzle that Van here just so happens to have." My brother takes out the roll of torn script and hands it to Carl, who continues to read.

"In the name of God," Van Helsing half mumbles," open this door." The painting melts away to reveal a mirror; why is there a mirror, I mean, honestly, who comes up with this crap?


	16. Findings

I look around me at the others; they have the same confused expression on their faces. "Ye know, I think your family just likes to be over dramatic with their stuff and your dad just forgot how to get to the mirror," Isaiah sighs, putting a comforting arm around my shoulders; he quickly removes it when my brother sends a death glare in his direction.

We all ignore what Isaiah said and try to figure out why a mirror was here. "Dracula has no reflection in the mirror," Anna states.

"But why," Van asks. They're all so tense!

"Well, he has no soul; that could be a HUGE contributing factor of the whole 'no reflection' thing." He shoots me a look. "Sorry, just being a smart ass."

"Maybe," Carl speculates," to Dracula it isn't a mirror at all." We all look over at him, urging him to continue. "Well, like you all said, he has no reflection and don't most mirrors only have one reflecting side?" All five of us get closer to the mirror and watch as Van Helsing hesitantly touches the glass.

His hand goes through and the area around it changes to resemble ice! "It is cold," he chuckles," and it is snowing." He brings his hand out and shows it to us. We all smile goofy smiles at each other. Van grabs a torch and heads back over to us. "See you on the other side." He makes to go through the mirror/door but Anna stops him.

"Be careful." He nods, trying to go again, but this time I grab him by the collar of his black duster.

"If you don't live through this and turn into a human Popsicle or something like that, I want you to know that I will defrost you then kill you myself, do you understand?" Van Helsing's eyebrows rise in shock that I would give a threat like that to him, but he eventually nods. "Good, now get goin'." He walks through the mirror-door-thing, just like before, the area he touches turns to ice, allowing him through without injury as far as I could see.

Anna grabs a torch next and goes through as well. When I grab one and start forward, Carl and Isaiah each grab one of my arms, holding me back. "What are you guys doing," I growl, fighting to break out of their grasps.

"You're staying here," Carl says simply.

"What, no I'm not, let me go!"

"That's the only thing the friar and I agree on, now stay here and we'll tell you how it goes when we come back," Isaiah commands. He takes the torch from me and joins my brother and the Princess. I look over at Carl and stare open-mouthed at him as he walks through the door without me.

"Oh, uh-uh," I shout in a childish tone. I stomp through the door just in time to watch Carl try to go back through, only to find that he couldn't and fall on his butt. "Ha, you deserved it!"

"I thought you were supposed to stay in the manor," Isaiah says, angry. I roll my eyes and pat him on the shoulder sympathetically.

"That's what you get for thinking, my friend." I look around us; the place is snow covered and a seemingly baron wasteland save for the giant castle and dead trees that have skeletons hanging from them. Count Chocula needs to have a landscaper do something with this place, it's deeply depressing. We walk up to the dark castle, saying nothing as we try to figure out what to do now that we're here besides kill the Vampire and all that get in our way.


	17. Discoveries

"Does anyone have a plan," Carl asks, looking around nervously," it doesn't exactly have to be Wellington at Waterloo, but some type of plan would be nice."

"We're going in there to kill Dracula," Van says unhelpfully. _Way to boost team morale, big brother_. Carl and I share a look—him taking my cold hand in his own. That feels nice, like my hand was made to fit perfectly in his. I squeeze his hand, laying my head on his shoulder.

"Well, killing Dracula sounds fantastic," Isaiah replies in a bored tone," but I think the real question is how we are gonna get in because those doors aren't easy to open." Smirking, I let go of Carl's hand and jump on his back, one arm stretched out in front of me.

"Onward, my noble steed!" Van pulls me off Carl's back and puts me on his own before grabbing Carl and Anna. What is he doing? My question is answered soon after when he jumps up to a high window and inside the castle, Isaiah right behind him.

"Have you always been able to do that," I ask with my eyes wide with shock and slight fear. My brother fall to his knees, letting out a small animalistic growl. The realization dawns on me; finally, what Carl was talking about earlier makes sense. "Oh my God, you've been bitten!" Carl places a hand on my shoulder reassuringly; helping me to stay standing.

"There's a cure," he whispers to me," we'll find it and set things right." _I have trouble believing that_. Van stands up again, breathing heavily with a determined look on his paling face.

"We need to get moving," he says, taking the lead once again. Isaiah looks doubtful, moving closer to the doors as if afraid of something. _What's his problem_? I face forward, taking Carl's hand again. We're in a large room filled with lit torches...and egg-things that hang from the ceiling. _Oh yes, that's exactly what I want to see_.

Before we can go far a pale, hunched over man walks out into the open, mumbling something to himself. _Hmm, I guess that's Igor; the brides were right, he__is__creepy_! Van throws one of his blades, pinning Igor to the granite column behind him. He tries to yank it free to no success.

"Please don't kill me," Igor begs, his deep voice struggling to get out of his misshapen lips. "Please!" I let out a snarl, sensing the evil that comes off of him just as surely as Van Helsing can.

"Give me a reason not to," my brother growls, gripping Igor's shirt collar. Igor lets out a terrified whimper, pulling at my brother's arm to try and get him off. He'd have better luck prying the blade out of the column!

"Van Helsing," Isaiah says softly, a hand on his shoulder. "You deal with this monster, I'll take Mari and we'll find Dracula's coffin." Van looks like he's about to protest but Isaiah stops him with a wave of his hand. "Relax, the bastard's not in it, but he does keep diagrams there—ones that could be very useful to us." Carl's grip tightens, pulling me slightly away from Isaiah.

"You're sure you can get there without detection," Van asks, looking worried and distrustful. Isaiah nods, pointing to a wall on our left.

"I know all this castle's secrets and can get to Dracula's coffin room easier than the Princess can decapitate Igor." Carl and I share a look before looking back to where Isaiah and Van are talking. There's something about Isaiah, something different than when I first met him. "Trust me, Van; I'll take care of her." Slowly, Van Helsing nods his consent.

"Alright, Mari, come here." The two of us walk until the others cannot hear us. "Do you think you'll be alright? With Isaiah, I mean." Letting out a sigh, I nod.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can take him if he tries something funny." I'm pulled into a tight hug, much like the one he gave me years ago when we first encountered Dracula. "Alright, big brother, let's go kick some Vampire butt." We smile at each other and walk back to the others. "C'mon, let's get this over with." Isaiah smirks, leading the way over to the wall he pointed at.

Carl grabs my arm, forcing me to stop and face him. "Be careful," he says softly. I smile at him reassuringly. Surprisingly, he pulls me to him and gives me a kiss. It was deep and filled with all of the feelings the both of us had to suppress over the years. "That was nice."

"Damn right it was!" After another brief kiss, I run after Isaiah—into a small tunnel he'd opened. I let out a deep breath, following him into the darkness. Even with my sharp senses it is hard to see my hand in front of my face and I can't tell which direction we're going. "Isaiah?"

"Right here, Marishka," he answers, sounding different somehow….Darker. We walk into a large room, lit torches high up on the stone walls. He grabs my hand, pulling me up against him. "Do you remember how we used to stand like this in the gardens?" My eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" He has an unnerving gleam in his gray eyes. "Isaiah, knock it off!" I try to pull away, but he merely tightens his grip, one of his strong arms around my waist.

"Surely you remember," he insists," we would spend hours together while your brother and my father tried to defeat the very man who made us like this!" I wince, knowing I would have a bruise from where his hand is gripping my arm. "Dracula knew I was heartbroken without you and made me a deal; if I would become a Dhampir he would bring you back to me." I hear a crack and the pain that follows tells me I have at least one broken rib.

"Isaiah—"

"My name is Nathan! Why can't you remember—Marishka, you should know all of this! We loved each other back then and I know you still love me now!" I slap him across the face, shocking him enough that I was able to get away. The door we came through is shut and locked.

"I love Carl, not you!" Anger fills me as I realize what Nathan has done. He sold his soul just so he could have me as a possession. He never loved me, he thought I was pretty and wanted to add me to his collection. "Let me out of here!"

"I don't think so, my dear, you're mine now—and you will learn to obey me as a wife should." He backhands me, flinging me across the room and into a wall. "Now get up and apologize." Growling, I lunge at him, knocking him into a wall. When I stumble back to my feet I see he's unconscious. Good, he can stay that way for all I care, heck, he could die and I wouldn't shed a tear at this point!

"Van Helsing," I breathe. Oh God, I have to help him! I grab the key to the door from Nathan's pocket and run over to the large door to unlock it. I have to get to Van and help him kill Dracula; he can't do it on his own! Sprinting, I come out of a tunnel and onto the stairs leading up to a tower. Agonized screams reach my sensitive ears, renewing all my efforts. I'm coming, big brother; hang on for a little longer!

**(A/N): Alright, I'm going off the book again so give me a break if there are any mistakes. So, the next chapter will be the last one!**


	18. The end and new Beginnings

I run into the lab, breath coming out in gasps as I look around me. Where are you Van, you can't fight this monster on your own! Growling reaches my ears and I instantly begin to run towards it, not stopping to think that it might be Dracula. What I see causes a scream to tear out of my throat. Van Helsing is lying on his back, cuts all over his body, but the one that catches my attention is on the side of his neck, blood quickly escaping it.

"Where are you," I scream, pain evident in my voice. "Come out here and face me!" A pale hand wraps around my throat, forcing me to turn to face the person it belongs to. Electric blue eyes clash with brown; the smug look on Dracula's pale face tells me he has me exactly where he wants me.

"Marishka," he says in a low voice. I don't look into his eyes; he'll only hypnotize me if I do. "Come now, look at me." I keep my head down, looking instead at my older brother.

"Go ahead and kill me, but if my brother dies you can be sure I'll come back and kill you myself," I threaten, finally meeting his gaze head on with no fear. I'm too exhausted to fear him, or anything else for that matter. He looks at me with curiosity, fingertips brushing against my ashen cheek.

"How about a deal, Mari? I will not kill your brother on one condition." This takes me by surprise—this condition must be a big one for him to spare Van's life. My eyes narrow in suspicion immediately, expecting some kind of trick.

"What is it?" Dracula chuckles darkly, releasing my throat and walking a few feet away from me.

"You become my bride as you were meant to be all those years ago." He looks at me over his shoulder, the corners of his lips turned up in a smirk. "For that I will heal your brother and send him on his way."

"Carl and the Princess will be spared also—if you cannot do that then you better kill me now and hope I do not rise again!" My eyes show the terrible anger I keep locked away, simmering just under the surface. He turns to face me fully now, not looking the least scared at the death glare I send his way.

Carl has to survive at least; I….I love him too much to allow him to die when I can do something to prevent it—even if that means giving up my soul. My brother's pained groan makes me turn slightly, a tear making a trail on my cheek.

"N-no, Mari..." He trails off, unable to speak without having blood cut him off. I lower my head in shame, unable to meet his desperate gaze. I can't let him change my mind when I'm so close to saving so many lives.

"Do you swear," I ask, voice breaking near the end. Dracula places one of his hands on the side of my neck, tilting it to expose the tender flesh there. He hisses slightly, smelling my blood.

"I swear." With those words his fangs sink into my neck, sucking greedily. This time I've no flashback to distract me from the pain, instead I look at my brother—he tries to get up, to get to me and tear Dracula to pieces, but he can barely manage to lift his head.

"Mari!" Carl's voice reaches my ears now, filled with panic and horror at what is being done. The edge of my vision is ringed in blackness, everything else turning a shade of gray. Dracula growls, obviously taking satisfaction that my brother and the man I love have to watch me become the monster the three of us hate with such passion. Everything fades away then when his venom reaches my heart—the agony causing me to faint….

-Omniscient PoV-

Two men on horseback ride into the small town of Vaseria, a feeling of déjà vu washing over them. The young friar, Carl, ignores it, but his companion, Van Helsing, thinks of it as a warning. "So, you have memories of the past seven years but nothing before then," Carl asks, wrapping his cloak around him tighter.

"Not now Carl." Van Helsing can sense the tension, something he doesn't particularly like. There's also something else, like he's missing something. The feeling has been nagging him ever since he got back after killing Mister Hyde—he doesn't like that either.

"There must be something you can remember," Carl insists, not paying much attention to his surroundings.

"I remember fighting the Romans at Masada," Van Helsing said seriously.

"That was in seventy-three A.D.!" Carl, having known his friend for more than a few years has a bit of trouble believing Van Helsing, though he knows his friend isn't lying

"You asked." A tall man with oily white hair steps in front them. Neither of the two men feels the need to trust him.

"Welcome to Transylvania," he says, his voice sounding bittersweet. Carl and Van Helsing get off their horses hesitantly. The man grins, showing everyone his few teeth. Behind the man, it seemed the entire town had gathered. They hold pitchforks, knives, and machetes.

"Is it always like this," Carl whispers to his friend. Van Helsing nods slowly, looking around him. Something's missing, something that is important, but he cannot put his finger on it.

-Meanwhile in Dracula's Castle-

A Vampiress walks towards her Master, Dracula, with a confused expression on her porcelain face as to why a Dewergi would drag her out of her coffin before sunset. She walks with her chin raised proudly. No matter how many times he'd tried, Dracula couldn't break her pride, or stubborn streak for that matter.

He'd made another deal with the Devil—let Marishka stay a Vampiress, but turn back time to when she and her friends first arrived in Vaseria, Mari on Dracula's side this time. Van Helsing and the friar would not remember Mari at all, Mari would not remember them, and her test of loyalty would be to kill her brother. Dracula thought it was well worth it to see if his youngest bride could go through with it.

"Master," she says softly, lowering her eyes to the floor of the balcony overlooking a frozen wasteland. Dracula nods his head in acknowledgement. His dark eyes land on her, a feeling of triumph washing over him. She had been his goal for many years, the one person that could break Van Helsing, and now she is his.

"Marishka," he says, just as quietly. Neither one wish to break the early morning quiet, the one moment of peace before the castle's residents are completely awake. "Have your sisters and yourself been getting along?" The bronze-haired Vampiress lowers her head at this, a small frown on her lips. The three of his brides have a tendency to fight amongst themselves, mainly over trivial things.

"Fine, Master." Dracula nods again, looking over the balcony instead of at Marishka, something she was relieved about. Marishka can't remember much, it's like chunks of her memory have been ripped out. She does know that she was turned against her will, though not much else about her past.

"Tell Verona I wish to speak with her," her Master commands, his back still facing her. "Then get a little more sleep." Marishka nods obediently, hating the control he has over her. Dracula watches as she walks towards the back of the castle, a small crease between his eyebrows is the only sign he's even the smallest bit worried.

He will tell Verona that she and Aleera will bring him the Princess and Marishka will be the one to kill the "strangers". Anna will be his bride whether she likes it or not. Verona, being his oldest bride, is more tuned to his thoughts and will not disobey—knowing the consequences will be severe if she does.

-Back in Vaseria-

"I'm here to help you," Van Helsing says, looking over the Princess' shoulder at the three shapes coming their way.

"I don't need any help," the Princess says stubbornly, refusing to believe this stranger could be of any use at all. The shapes are closer now and Van Helsing can tell they are Vampires—female ones at that. The nagging feeling hits him full force when he sees one with bronze hair. Her distorted face seems familiar to him, but he cannot place it.

"Really?" He soon has his crossbow out, aiming for the Vampires—hitting one a couple times. The bronze haired one snarls at him, her sharp teeth in plain view. For some reason he feels guilty about shooting her, like she's supposed to mean something to him. Carl feels a surge of anger rush through him when the bronze-haired Vampiress is injured, though he doesn't know why. He should want these monsters dead, not safe.

-Marishka's PoV-

When the sun begins to peak through the clouds my sisters and I immediately head for the well in the town center. I will not be turned into a Crispy Critter just because the Master wants the damn Princess! While safe in the darkness strange thoughts begin to fill my head, thoughts of the two strangers. Have I met them before?

They must be from my past and very important to me because it's hard for me to wish harm on them. A small nudge from Verona signals it's safe to come out again and continue our attack. The three of us shoot out of the well, startling everyone in the square. While I have time, I grip Anna tightly and begin to fly.

"Hope you're not scared of heights," I laugh, briefly looking down at the human. Unnoticed by me, she pulls a small knife out of her boot and, before I can stop her, she cuts my foot. Growling in pain and anger I let the Princess drop and spiral away. My foot heals quickly enough and I know I should kill the strangers as Master commanded but I know this will be the hardest kill I've ever made.

As I fly forward again, a wave of arrows hit me, knocking me through the roof of a house. Okay, now it won't be so hard to kill that guy, I hate it when I'm shot with freaking arrows! Despite my inner rant, I know it won't change my feelings much. I stand again and burst through the doors, throwing him a few feet before landing on a balcony.

The man stands up, grunting in pain. Smirking I change back into my human form and begin to pull the arrows out of me—the wounds begin to heal quickly. I see a flash of recognition in the man's dark eyes, eyes that were once familiar to me. Shaking my head, I leap at the man, not expecting for him to grab my waist and throw me to the ground.

Everything blurs for a second before coming back into focus; the man is sitting on my stomach, silver stake in position to pierce my heart. Strangely he's not doing anything except looking into my eyes, as if seeing something there. "How do I know you," I ask quietly, not moving for fear of the stake.

He shakes his head, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "I don't know." The answer is simple, unhelpful, and it hurt slightly that he does not know me—I do not know why. For a few moments more we stay like this, not even moving when Verona and Aleera fly away without the Princess. "You're so familiar," he breathes, eyes softening.

"As are you, stranger." I break eye contact, looking instead at the stake. It's getting harder to fight the feeling that I should know this man, that I should protect him no matter the cost. Finally, I come to a decision—one that would keep the man and his friend safe from me. "Please." One of my hands gently wraps around one of his wrists. "I don't have it in me to kill you."

He lowers his head, lips brushing against my cold cheek. "I know you," he whispers," but how I do not know." My grip tightens a little as I force the stake to complete its purpose, ignoring the pain that flares through me.

"Van Helsing," I gasp before death consumes me.

-Omniscient PoV-

Van Helsing looks shocked at the place where the young Vampiress once lay, memories filling his head. Mari, he'd just murdered his little sister! Tears flow freely down his cheeks as he picks up the stake. "I'll kill him," Van Helsing says determinedly," I'll get him for you, Marishka."

Carl lowers his head, fighting back his own tears. Mari would want him to be strong and help her brother. The friar's hands close into fists, white-hot anger filling his entire body as he thinks about what Dracula had caused. Marishka will be avenged, Dracula will die. With that, both men are ready to take on the Son of the Devil—planning to strike soon.

**(A/N): Yeah, maybe not the greatest ending and I know it's gonna make my uncle and one of his soldiers mad that I killed Mari, but oh well. Just so it's clear, Drac changed Mari into a Vampire and made a deal with the Devil to alter the timeline so that instead of being with Van and Carl she would be with him. He also had everyone's memories changed, but at the end Mari, Van, and Carl remembered a little of what happened. Hope you guys liked my story and thank you to everyone who has read/favorited/alerted/ and reviewed this story!**


End file.
